Jujutsu Kaisen: Shibuya arc explains the hidden depths of Nobara's character only to waste it

The death of Nobara Kugisaki in the latest episode of Jujutsu Kaisen season 2 has left fans devastated. She was, undoubtedly, one of the most complex and interesting characters seen throughout the series.

Her final moments certainly added more depth to her character, as she was seen coming to terms with all the misconceptions she had prior to moving to Tokyo and how every single person she met afterwards proved her ideology wrong.

Nobara was one of the central characters of the series, as she was part of the main trio of characters alongside Megumi Fushiguro and Yuji Itadori. Throughout the first season of the anime, viewers got to see the relationship between the three evolve as they grew to care deeply about each other.

---

How Jujutsu Kaisen's Shibuya arc wasted Nobara Kugisaki's character depth

Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, and Nobara Kugisaki as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (image via MAPPA)

From the very beginning of Jujutsu Kaisen series, Nobara Kugisaki had a confident yet arrogant personality. She was frequently blunt and pretty straightforward in her conversations and spoke her mind without hesitation, even if it meant trouble for her. Throughout the series, she has also been seen to be extremely picky in letting people in her life.

Despite creating a wall around her with some extremely high standards, Nobara instantly clicked with Yuji Itadori. The two share different perspectives in life, with Nobara's being quite similar to Satoru Gojo or Megumi Fushiguro. However, she formed a deep bond with Itadori, as the two developed an unique friendship that often saw them sharing the same level of silliness.

Nobara has been shown to be extremely selective about who gets to take a seat in her life, which was highlighted especially in her backstory. However, as stated by her, every now and then, someone just brings a chair on their own and takes a seat.

During her final moments, Nobara's sees her life flashing before her eyes, as fans get a better look behind her ideology and perspective. She was raised in a village where people who were different from others were treated like outcasts by the rest of the villagers. Nobara thus became extremely selective in interacting with others, as she had formed several misconceptions about other people due to her time in the village.

However, all those misconceptions that she had and the wall that she had built around herself was eventually broken down by the people she met during her time in Jujutsu High. From Itadori to Maki, every person that she met challenged her previous views, as she never thought that she would get along with so many different people.

Nobara Kugisaki and Yuji Itadori as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen (image via MAPPA)

All her current friends and teachers brought their own chairs and took a seat in her life, which she admitted wasn't so bad. In the end, everyone she has met proved her wrong, and the time that she got to spend with them was certainly precious to her.

However, all her character depth seemingly went to waste as it occured right before her passing. Although fans have shown their appreciation for Nobara's backstory and characterization, they have openly expressed their complaints about her death.

It is a popular opinion that the character didn't need to die for the story to move forward. Looking back at the series, her death hasn't accomplished much, except being an integral part of Itadori's character growth and his drive to kill Mahito.

Nobara Kugisaki in her final moments as seen in Jujutsu Kaisen season 2(image via MAPPA)

Her demise caused an immense amount of grief in the fanbase, as they not only bid farewell to one of the most beloved characters in the franchise, but also because it came directly after Kento Nanami's death.

Fans would have undoubtedly loved to witness Nobara's character development and growth throughout the series. However, any hopes of that happening were put to rest during the Shibuya Incident. Furthermore, her fate was left ambiguous by Gege Akutami, who hardly mentioned her again after stating that she still had a chance at surviving.

---

Final thoughts

To this day, fans are hopeful that Nobara will make her return to Jujutsu Kaisen sooner or later. Although it has been implied a couple of times that she has already passed away, there have been no official confirmations regarding her fate in Jujutsu Kaisen.